


The Consequences of Actions

by Bookluva



Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Gwen Bashing, M/M, no flames, onsided Gwen/Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-11-30 00:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/693545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookluva/pseuds/Bookluva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwen learns some things about her team and fiancé and finally get given the consequences for her actions. WARNING: GWEN BASHING don't like don't read.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jack sighed inwardly in annoyance as Gwen chattered on about yet another thing that she believed Torchwood should do something about. To the left of him, Owen groaned and shifted in his seat; impatient to get back to the decomposing alien in the autopsy room.

At this, Gwen glared self-righteously and said, "I know you don't care about others, Owen. But I do."

At this Owen glared viciously right back and was about to make a scathing comment at her; until he caught Tosh's gaze. She was sitting next to Ianto and was fiddling with something on her laptop and carefully avoiding the Welshwoman's eyes. Shaking her head slightly, she gave him a look which told him that Gwen wasn't worth the effort. So he stayed silent and Gwen happily went back to her lecture on how Torchwood should be helping the public.

Jack watched in silent amusement as Tosh and Owen mouthed to each other,

'You owe me.'

'I know, I would have had to put up with her ranting.'

Jack turned to his right and looked at Ianto and saw to his mirth that Ianto was writing a list on '50 ways to shut Gwen up'. Some of them actually looked plausible.

Jack surveyed his team again and saw that they all were as sick of Gwen's lecturing as he was, so he stood up and clapped his hands together before leaning them against the conference table.

"Alright. Enough, Gwen. I think everyone should enjoy an evening off, rift permitting. So go off and have fun, but don't forget to keep your mobiles on you." Gwen looked over to him,

"But Jack. Can't I finish.." Jack interrupted her.

"No, Gwen. Go home to Rhys, your fiancé," he said emphasising the last word. "Enjoy your night Gwen, but don't forget to have your mobile on hand."

Gwen retorted, outrage in her voice, "You expect me to keep my life together, but when I am able to enjoy some downtime I have to be ready to come back to work?!"

As the others stood up smirking to each other, Jack replied in a cold tone. "A minute ago you didn't want to leave and now you're complaining? Go home, Miss Cooper. Enjoy your night in."

As she stormed out in a huff, tripping on her shoes he spoke to the remaining members of the team quietly. "She's going to learn that not everyone comes at her beck and call."

"What do you mean, Jack?" Tosh said, curious. Jack had been surprisingly complacent with Gwen. Jack caught Ianto's eye and winked. Ianto smirked.

"Oh, you'll see."

TWTorchwoodTW TWTorchwoodTW TWTorchwoodTW TWTorchwoodTW

As Gwen came into her flat, dumping her keys onto the table she started talking.

"Hey, babe. Great news; Jack gave me the night off, so I thought we could go out to the lovely little…" She trailed off as she saw Rhys getting ready for what was obviously going to be a night out. He was turned away from her, wearing what she called his 'pulling shirt.'

"Oh, aye. So you got the night in, eh? You can catch up with your latest TV shows and gossips. I'm going out." He walked over to the mirror and started checking his hair, studiously avoiding her eyes.

"But," she said helplessly; "I've got the night in…" Rhys interrupted her.

"And I'm going out. Just because you've got the night off doesn't mean I have to drop my plans for you."

Gwen had the strange feeling of de ja vu but she couldn't place it. She ran over to him and pulled on his arm, "Please?" He shook her off carefully, still gentle.

"No." He looked her in the eyes, "I'll be back late so don't wait up." He walked to the door and as he went for his keys she called out,

"Take my car, please? That way I'll know you'll be safe." She silently congratulate herself as he did and called out, "I love you."

The shutting 'snap' of the door was her only answer. As quiet penetrated the apartment, she fumed silently. Angry that he wouldn't even give up a night of drinking with his mates, while she, day after day worked so hard to save Earth from the monsters in the Universe, sacrificing so much and risking her life repeatedly.

She pulled out her phone and used it to find her car with the GPS tracking device inside; glad for once that she'd taken the time to get Tosh to teach her how.

She followed its progress on the screen through the streets of Cardiff. When she saw it was stationary at a pub, she decided to wait an hour to find out who he considered more important than to spend time with than her.

She flopped down to the couch dramatically, wondering whether or not to call Jack; he loved spending all his time with her, just like she loved him. Though she'd never tell Rhys.

That was until she remembered that she was angry at him for showing her up in front of the others. As she sat, she wondered what to do now.

TWTorchwoodTWTorchwoodTWTorchwoodTWTorchwoodTWTorchwoodTW

Gwen pulled up outside the pub Rhys was at; getting out of Rhys' car as quickly as possible, ignoring all the other people in the street that for some reason were glaring at her.

Pulling open the pubs door, she flounced in and…stopped as she saw Rhys sitting in a booth with Jack and Ianto. They were laughing at something Ianto had said, and Jack was for some reason holding Ianto's hand, even though he was using him as a part time shag and replacement for herself. In Jack's other hand was a beer.

Gwen felt confused; why would Jack and Ianto be out with Rhys; unless…her heart sped up and she felt sick.

Quickly storming over, she reached across and slapped Ianto hard on the cheek. Immediately Jack and Rhys both stood up, Jack growling at her menacingly, like she was a Weevil.

"What the hell was that for, Gwen?" He snarled. He moved in front of Ianto protectively despite Ianto's murmured, "It's fine Jack. Honestly."

Gwen noticed for the first time; despite the fact the men she loves are glaring at her, that both Ianto and Jack were wearing jeans and casual T-shirts. It was the first time she had ever seen either of them out of their professional attire.

"Well?" Jack said, impatient for her answer.

"What's got into you Gwen?" Rhys said and she brought herself back to what caused her to intervene and slap Ianto. She focused on Jack and started shouting.

"You bastards, you absolute bastards. How dare you do this?!"

Jack glared at her while Ianto simply looked confused.

"What are you talking about Gwen?" Jack asked, wanting to understand.

"You know exactly what I mean! You've drugged him!" She pointed at Rhys.

"Wait," Jack said slowly. "You think that Ianto and I have retconned Rhys?!" He made an exasperated noise and ran his hands though his hair.

Rhys looked shocked at her theory.

"Gwen, all we've done is had a few drinks," Ianto said. "We haven't drugged Rhys and we have had no intention to."

Rhys then spoke up, his eyes boring into hers. "Gwen. What's all this about? And how did you find us? Were you following me?" He looked outraged and Gwen felt at a loss at how to explain to him what she was doing. She decided for the good old tactic of distraction.

"Why are you out with my work mates anyway? Can't you just leave it alone."

Jack sighed, stood up and pulled Ianto up behind him. "What's so wrong with hanging out with a few mates?"

Gwen glared but faltered, unable to reply until another thought occurred to her. "Do you do this often?"

Rhys nodded, smirking slightly. "Almost every week, if it suits." He was shrugging his coat on and doing up the zip, putting some change onto the table.

"Do Tosh and Owen come as well?" Jack nodded affirmative.

"Most of the time, though they are out tonight on a date."

Gwen felt excluded for a minute before realising that this must be Jack's way of making sure that they team felt included as well, but she decided to be sure.

"Why have I never been invited?"

This time Ianto answered softly, smoothing down the creases in Jack's T-shirt. "You've always wanted Torchwood to keep out of your private life, so that's what we've done." At this, Jack smiled gently at his lover, before turning to Rhys and addressing him.

"I think it's time Ianto and I went home. Have a good night Rhys." He turned to Gwen. "I'll see you tomorrow at work on time."

Again he emphasised his words, and taking Ianto's hand he led the way out of the pub and into the street towards where Gwen assumed Ianto had parked his car. She looked at Rhys who finished his drink and strode past her, not even glancing at her.

She realised that he had taken his keys off her and had replaced them with her own. She grumpily crossed her arms and headed off towards where she had seen her car. Hopping inside, she reviewed what had happened inside, still confused over the fact that the whole team and her fiancé were going out together on a regular basis without her.

She started the care and slowly drove home, wondering at the expressions on Rhys and Jack's faces as she had slapped Ianto. If she didn't know any better she would have thought that both of them had been staring at her with a look of disgust. She shook herself from that point of view, knowing that what she had done was perfectly reasonable; believing that Jack was having drinks with Rhys because he was going to Retcon him was the obvious answer, because really; how was she to know that Rhys, Jack and the others got together weekly for a drink and a chat.

She pulled up outside the flat and quietly entered, unsure why but slightly dreading the confrontation with her fiancé. Stepping into the lounge, she saw Rhys sprawled on the sofa, glaring at her. He gestured next to him and she sat down tenderly; aware that Rhys could go off his nuts and could possibly kick her out for the night. He wasn't too bright but he had strong emotions that he didn't restrain and could easily go overboard.

"So," she put on a bright smile. "Did you have a good time out?" At Rhys frown she belatedly realised it was the wrong thing to say to him.

"Well I was having a good time; until you interrupted and slapped Ianto. You know, I honestly didn't' think you can embarrass me more than you just did. You acted like an idiot in front of your friends and for what reason? You though, you actually thought that Jack and Ianto were going to Retcon me and yes I know what Retcon is."

Gwen gaped slightly, feeling like a fish as she began to realise that Jack had actually explained to Rhys some things, and that Rhys knew a lot more about Torchwood than she had known that he did.

She wanted to go back to the Hub and scream at Jack for a few hours, she never wanted Rhys to be involved with Torchwood; he was part of her private life and she didn't want the two to cross.

Rhys was looking at her expectantly and she forced herself to look sincere and said softly,

"I'm sorry Rhys. I wasn't trying to embarrass you; I just really wanted to spend some time with you. And when I saw you with my team mates, well I just thought the worst. I mean, how else was I supposed to know you've been going out with my workmates?"

Rhys growled at hat and Gwen reflected that whatever she said to him at the moment, even an apology; he found a flaw with it and attacked it.

"You didn't know that I've been going out with your mates? Gwen I told you over three months ago! And every so often I mention it! Are you honestly that dumb or do you just tune me out when I talk? And you can't hide behind the fact that you've had a tough day at work, because even if Jack and the others have had a really crap day; they are all willing to listen to anything anyone of us have to say. They also have the decency to remember it!"

He stood up,

"I'm going to bed. You can stay on the couch tonight. I don't want to sleep next to you right now." To her shock he walked over to their bedroom, slamming the door as he went.

She huffed and pulled out a blanket from the cupboard and settled down on the lumpy mattress; thinking absent-mindedly that she needed to get a new one. Closing her eyes, she willed herself asleep; trying to forget everything that had happened, her mind confused by what she had experienced. She curled up, wanting to go to the Hub and see Jack as soon as possible. Sleep claimed her and she slept blissfully, unaware of what was to come because of her actions.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack woke up slowly, feeling the reassuring weight of Ianto asleep in his arms. He carefully pulled Ianto closer and smiled softly as Ianto's head fell onto Jack's shoulder as he slumbered on, the warm body a reassuring weight in his arms.

Running his fingers gently through the soft locks he rested his chin lightly on the top of Ianto's head. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to the night before.

\---

As Jack slowly pulled Ianto's car up, he glanced over at his lover.

"It really is a shame that Tosh and Owen couldn't come tonight. Though I suppose it's a good thing that they are able to spend some time along together."

Ianto nodded and opened his door quietly waiting for Jack to do the same before reaching over and grabbing Jacks extended hand, walking to the door with him with a smile on his face.

"Jack, over there." Ianto quietly pointed over to Rhys, purely happy to be able to spend some time with his boyfriend and his other friend, who had actually know a lot longer than Gwen had. Ianto and Rhys had both lived in the same street as kids and went to the same school, becoming friends even though Rhys was a bit older than Ianto.

Jack nodded and they headed over; while they had intended this to be a wake up call for Gwen so she knew that Rhys wouldn't wait on her hand and foot; Jack also really enjoyed Rhys' company. He was funny, gently natured and had a quiet intelligence about him that Jack was sure that Gwen had missed; because whenever she talked about Rhys she made it sound as though he was incapable of comprehending what she did as a job.

"Hey guys. Tough day at work?" While Rhys knew that there were things that they couldn't discuss, he never did push for information and because of that, all of the team; including Owen liked telling him of the mundane aspects of life at Torchwood and the stuff that they got up to.

Rhys had nearly peed himself laughing when Ianto and Tosh had explained how they had tricked Jack and Owen into diving headfirst into a pool of 'alien' goo that gave them green hair and a slight orange tinge on the skin for the next three days, all because of something Owen had said to Tosh. The oompa loompa jokes had lasted for weeks.

"Yeah. It's been tough; we had to go over piles of paperwork," Jack said dramatically. "If I have to look at another Insurance Claim form this week I'll die!"

Ianto sniggered and hit him lightly on the arm, "You only have to do heaps of paperwork at once because you don't bother doing it any other time. It piles up if you put it off, Jack." He said the last sentence like he was talking to a young child and Rhys laughed uproariously at Jack's dramatic pout.

"I'm just as bad, Jack. Though I'm glad that we have a set amount of paperwork at my job otherwise I would be buried under every kind of form." He leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially. "It's a nightmare of mine. The insurance forms gang up on me, tie me to my chair until I fill them all out."

He took a swig of his beer as they laughed; happy to be out with friends and not the least but concerned about how Gwen was feeling. 'It's time she got a taste of her own medicine,' he thought.

The three continued talking, discussing everything between the rugby and how happy they were that Owen and Tosh were finally together after much mucking around and sidestepping their feelings.

Looking up, Jack quietly said. "Your fiancé's here. Though I'm going to have to talk to her later about her use of Torchwoods resources." He twined his fingers gently between Ianto's own as he continued to hold it securely in his grasp as he had done all evening, running the pad of his thumb over the soft skin.

He was about to take a sip from his beer again when Gwen stormed over, fury written all over her face and before he had the chance to stop her she slapped Ianto hard on the face. He felt rage brew up inside of him and even when Ianto reassured him that he was okay, he just wanted to leave and make sure that Ianto really was alright.

They had quickly driven home to their flat, each in his own thoughts; but once they were inside they opened up to each other as Ianto let Jack look after him; even though he knew he was fine, before both fell asleep wrapped around each other.

Jack focused back on the present as Ianto made a small snuffling sound followed by a small movement from his head; the tell tale sign he was about to wake up. Jack stroked his cheek softly, frowning at the slight reddish tinge before chuckling at Ianto's confused but sleepy expression.

"What's so," he paused for a yawn. "Funny?"

"Oh. Not much," Jack replied helping him sit up. Contrary to the others beliefs, Ianto was NOT a morning person.

But that didn't matter. Jack loved waking him up.

TORCHWOODTORCHWOODTORCHWOODTORCHWOODTORCHWOOD

Sunlight shone merrily through the window and Gwen blearily opened her eyes. Stretching and standing up, she turned and stared at the clock in horror. She had slept in!

Rhys hadn't woken her and now she was late. Normally she wouldn't be too worried about being late; but Jack had been quite angry at her last night and even though he was always kind to her and relied upon her to talk about anything in his life, she knew that she didn't want to push him when he was in a bad mood.

She rushed into the bedroom, noticing that Rhys had already left and had obviously decided not to wake her. Dressing quickly, she angrily thought of all sorts of punishments for him when he got back and after grabbing a quick bite to eat, she hurried out the door, onto the street and into her car; driving full speed and ignoring the road rules. They weren't that important really, when it came to her line of work.

She managed to park quickly and rushed over to the Tourist Office, slamming open the door to reveal…no Ianto.

She puzzled over it for a minute before shrugging and opening the concealed entrance herself; walking downstairs and into the lift, the whole Hub strangely silent in her entrance, for such a live place.

As the cog door rolled back slowly she looked around; expecting to see the others at the conference table or on the couch behind Tosh's desk, but there was no one.

The water trickled down silently as it ran from the top of the obelisk into the fountain pool; there was no noise from the weevils, no moaning or growling and even Myfanwy seemed to have decided to take a break from her usual ruckus.

'Stupid bird,' Gwen thought savagely. She'd hated the thing from the very first time she'd seen it, though for some reason Jack loved her so Gwen pretended to as well. She couldn't understand why Jack didn't just shoot her, she'd caused so much trouble and it took so long for her to be fed; not that Gwen would ever dirty her hands feeding the ugly thing, that was Ianto's job to do, but if she wasn't there he could be dutifully serving her coffee, like she deserved; being closest to Jack and all.

But thoughts of Myfanwy led to thoughts of Ianto, which annoyed her.

She understood that Jack had to occupy his time because he couldn't have her at the moment; though she wished that he had chosen someone outside of Torchwood as it will be awkward when she and Jack finally got together and she had to look at Ianto each day, knowing that he had been with Jack.

Though, she supposed Jack could always Retcon Ianto when he was done with him. That was likely, he didn't really have any proper skills and it would be easy for Tosh and Owen to split Ianto's tasks between themselves. Yes, she thought. That must be the reason Ianto's still working here.

Stepping over to her desk, she flung herself dramatically into her chair; which skidded along the floor with her added weight on it. Frowning, she sat back on the chair and put it back into position before surveying her desk; which had a rather large pile of papers on it while a sticky not was attached to her computer screen.

She read it, her bottom lip protruding in a pout slightly.

'Gwen. Since you were late, we've had to go out for a rift alert without you. Here is some of your reports, they are all inadequate and I want you to do them again before we get back. Jack.'

She glared at the note before looking over to the pile of papers. Turning on her computer she clicked on the solitaire icon, figuring Ianto could do them for her later. She was much to important to have to bother with filling out reports. She bit her lip and focused on the difficult game.

TORCHWOODTORCHWOODTORCHWOODTORCHWOODTORCHWOOD

Gwen looked up as the alarms sounded, signifying the return of the rest of the team. Toshiko came in first, a frown marring her soft features as she cleared a path for the others. Gwen worried for Jack and Owen. Whenever they walking in like that it meant someone had been hurt.

She sighed with relief as she was the Owen and Jack were okay, but they were supporting Ianto between her. She felt her annoyance rise, It figured that Ianto was the one hurt; he was useless on the field as he didn't have any real experience.

Between the two they managed to manoeuvre Ianto down into the Autopsy and Medical Bay and onto the bed.

Gwen walked over to the railing and peered down with interest at the work that Owen was doing on Ianto's stomach and back while Jack gently ran his hands up and down Ianto's bare arms, trying to sooth away as much discomfort as he could.

Tosh stood up next to Gwen and fixed her with a cold stare. "This is your fault, you know. If you'd been out there help all of us out, or even been here in the hub providing back up, then Ianto wouldn't have been hurt."

Tosh walked along the railing until she was further away from Gwen and surveyed the scene below like an older sister, looking after her family.

Gwen blinked back her shock. Where had that come from?! Her friends must have gotten caught up in the heat of the moment and poor sweet Tosh's caring heart couldn't bear seeing another hurt, especially another member of Torchwood. When all this was over, Gwen was sure that Tosh would come over and apologise to her for her behaviour.

Owen finished stitching up Ianto's back and was now doing Ianto's front, Ianto being held up by Jacks arm around his shoulders. "Nearly there, Teaboy. Now, you are officially on light duties until these have healed properly. And don't expect to be doing much on your own for a while. And DEFINITELY no lifting or bending. Jack's here for a reason, you know."

Jack smiled at this and said warmly, "He's right you know, Yan. But once Owen's done, you are going to sleep in my bed." He held up his hand. "And don't even think of protesting, otherwise I'll tie you to the bed. I mean it when I say no working today, Ianto." Jack leaned forwards and even as Gwen watched he dropped a feather light kiss to the young man's forehead.

Ianto nodded and watched silently as Owen injected something into his arm which Jack was holding still. "Just something to help stop infection; though it has a sedative side effect so off to bed with you!" Owen explained loudly and and started packing up his equipment.

Gwen watched quietly as Jack helped Ianto up from the table and up the stairs; Jack not even glancing at her as he practically carried Ianto into his office and down the hatch into his quarters. She looked over to Owen, but he didn't glance at her as he shrugged out of his lab coat and sat down in his station.

Gwen looked guiltily over to all the reports on her desk that she was supposed to have done, reflecting that Jack wasn't in a forgiving mood. But Jack would understand, she felt sure.

A hand clamped down heavily onto her shoulder and Gwen screamed in shock before meeting Jack's angry eyes. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Gwen. Conference room. Now." As she marched sullenly up to it, she heard Owen speak.

"He asleep, Jack?" She opened the door and heard Jack not too far behind her.

"Yeah. Though without those painkillers he would be in a serious amount of pain. Thanks."

"No problem boss." Owen's cheeky tone confused her until Jacks glare reminded her that she had more pressing things to think about. She sat in the chair he directed her to, restraining herself from fidgeting.

"I've been having quite a few second thoughts about how I've thought about you, Gwen. Recently you've started to show this smug superior attitude to everyone," he held up his hand to stop her from defending herself.

"No. This is not where you get to argue with me. This is where I talk and you listen, actually listen; not what you usually do and pretend. You're out of line, Gwen. Your attitude, how you treat others; especially Ianto. And how you treat your job." He took a deep breath.

"You hide behind it when it comes to everyday life and yet you don't do any work. You always want to get out of things, using the excuse of spending time with Rhys, but when I asked him he told me that he rarely sees you when I give you time off. What's going on Gwen? Because Torchwood doesn't need an employee who doesn't do their job. Because of this, and because when we needed you," he brought his face close to hers.

"You weren't there. I'm going to give you one last chance for you to redeem yourself slightly. Pray that you get the right answers to these questions. Why did you do what you did to Ianto? And why do you treat him like he's dirt?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an old story I wrote in 2008 for a challenge on LJ.


	3. Chapter 3

Gwen pondered what she was going to say silently for a while before deciding to tell the truth.

"Well it's obvious isn't it?" Jack shook his head, leaning back in his chair imperiously and she ran her hands through her hair. Men, honestly. "You've only kept him on because he's good in bed," a dangerous look entered Jack's eyes but he let her dig herself into a deeper hole.

"He's useless and clearly a liability, today proves it. Also he can't be trusted, I mean he kept a Cyberwoman in the basement for crying out loud! And the only reason you sleep with him is because you can't have me; but don't worry, I'm getting rid of Rhys. Then you can get rid of Ianto and he can go work in a coffee shop or something."

She looked him in the eyes, expecting to see love and admiration in his eyes but only saw disgust and anger. He loomed over her and she felt a small slither of fear slide down her back and bury itself in the pit of the stomach.

She'd only seen him look like this a handful of times, and never at her. Whenever he looked like that, the culprit usually ended up dead or something else horrific.

"Is that really what you think about Ianto, Gwen? That he's useless, a liability and I sleep with him only because I can't have you?" He didn't shout or rage, but that was somehow worse.

He strode to the door and called the other two in; Ianto still asleep in Jack's bed. Owen and Tosh obediently abandoned their work and came in behind him, looking over at Gwen curiously but with a shade of malice in their eyes, clearly they still hadn't forgiven her for apparently not protecting Ianto.

"Tosh. Do me a favour and replay the last five minutes of conversation in this room please." Toshiko nodded and quickly set about doing it while Jack and Owen both stared down Gwen.

"Done Jack." They all turned to watch the screen, Jack blocking the exit and looking on at the mounting expressions of horror and disgust on Toshiko and Owen's faces. The screen shut off and they all turned as one to look at Gwen.

"Do you have anything else to say for your actions, Gwen?" Jacks tone was formal and Gwen wondered if she was missing the joke or something.

"What? I'm sorry for being late to work and not filling out the reports, we don't even need them anyway! They don't exactly help. But because I was late does not mean you can pile the blame on me for Ianto getting hurt! It's his fault that he's less experienced than the rest of the team and that he's not careful, I can't always be around to baby sit you know."

She stopped and looked around to the other members, surprised to find them all in a line against her. She stepped towards the door, but heard movement behind her.

"You little cow!" Owen said vehemently, stepping towards her but Tosh held him back, her thin hand wrapped around his arm.

"Leave her Owen. She's just spiteful. There's no point reasoning with her."

Gwen felt blood rush to her face as she realised that Jack wasn't going to give Ianto up in front of the others, and didn't even give them a talking down for what they were saying to her; of course not! She felt like slapping her hand to her forehead. Tosh felt a soft spot for the useless teaboy. No wonder Jack was pretending to be unhappy. But inside she felt angry at his callous actions and in the deepest corners of her mind, she started to wonder if that was the real reasons behind his actions.

"If you have nothing more to say, I'm going to go home."

She forced her way past Jack roughly and stepped out marching down the stairs and towards her station, collecting her bag before making her way towards the exit. Behind her, she heard the others rush out of the conference room.

"Gwen!" Jack called out her name in what she could almost say was a growl. Gwen spun around and surveyed Jack coldly, noticing the gun in his hands.

"If you leave though that door right now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

She laughed, "You wouldn't fire me! I'm much too important."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Gwen. I am already firing you, but if you don't stay here to see this through; I'll ruin your life, shred any ounce of happiness you have so that all you have left is self-hatred."

Gwen laughed again, dismissing the threat, but wishing she knew why they were playing this game. "You can't retcon me! It doesn't work. See you later." She pranced though the door and out through the Tourist Office, unlocking her car and driving home.

Her phone started ringing and she checked the Caller ID to see Jack's number flashing on the screen. She switched her phone off. She'd let him stew for a while, letting him realise how important she was to him; then he'd drop Ianto and she would get rid of Rhys and they'd be together for the rest of their lives.

Gwen continued driving, anxious to get home and wait with Rhys, he would let her gripe about her team mates, he was always willing to listen to her.

Pulling up outside, she locked the car and headed up to the door; noticing that there were numerous boxes outside, but she paid them no mind and persisted up the stairs.

Pulling out her keys, she slotted the correct key into the lock, and frowned. For some reason it wouldn't fit. She tried again and her frown deepened, furrows forming on her head. Just in case, she checked her other keys; but none of them worked either. Growling out a guttural snarl, she banged on the door heavily. No answer came.

Finally, as she was just about to try and kick the door down, it cracked open slightly with a chain still keeping it mostly closed. Rhys head stared back at her impatiently.

"Rhys!" Gwen exclaimed, "What's going on? You've changed the locks!"

Rhys laughed, a mocking tone tingeing his voice and Gwen felt confusion shape her face; maybe everyone was planning a huge surprise for her.

"Of course I did! Didn't want you barging in just as I got it how I liked it."

Gwen didn't understand.

"You see, Gwen; when you were asleep I'd been thinking. I have noticed you changing ever since Torchwood, all your darker sides coming out and I've decided I don't want to have to put up with that anymore and I certainly don't want to marry you. Our relationship is over."

He shut the door firmly in her face, before cracking it open again and snatching the ring off her finger, closing it with a snap.

Gwen stared dumbfounded at the door, before opening her mouth and letting out an enraged scream; smashing her fists heavily on the wooden door. How dare he! How dare he break up with her! Gwen Cooper! The Useless Pathetic Lump thinking that he was able to break up with her! Only she could decide when to break up!

As she pounded on the door, she heard her ex-fiancé's voice from inside.

"You'd better stop trying to break the door down or I'll call the police Gwen. I hear that you aren't too popular with them at the moment, what with treating them like dirt and all that."

Gwen glared at the door before realising that he was right; she really didn't want to have to deal with their snide remarks and Andy's coddling at the moment. She slumped over to the steps and put her face in her hands, huge tears sliding down her face.

It was over. All the effort she had put into their relationship. All the lies she had told to keep him safe. And all for nothing. Heaving a huge breath, she let her sobs overcome her. That ungrateful little bastard! She reached out her hand, half thinking to grab her bag and call someone; when her fist hit one of the boxes.

Curiosity overcame her sadness and she carefully prised it open. Inside was all her things! From her clothing, to her personal items; everything was put in these boxes!

Rhys had just packed away anything that had to do with her and left it outside, just like garbage!

Gwen was about to stand up and storm over to the door, when she realised something else. She. Was. Single! And soon Jack would be as well, she was sure of it. She unpacked some of her stuff and rummaged through, looking for a nice top to go and tell him the good news in.

She found a nice orange one, low cut and revealing. That was sure to get his mouth watering. Quickly changing tops and shimmying into some dark skinny leg jeans, too excited to think about what strangers would say; she grabbed her bag again and headed out, knowing that Jack would eventually follow her to a bar.

*

Gwen carelessly tipped back another gulp of beer, staring down the barman to get her another. She was sat at the bar, and smiled at the lusty looks on the men around her. Too bad for them she was a one guy woman.

The door to the bar opened again, and she caught sight of a flash of dark blue wool, a grin stretching her features upwards. She looked away, trying to look nonchalant but she knew she couldn't; it was impossible with him around.

He sat down on the stool next to her and ordered two beers, not even glancing at her face. She stared curiously at him, noting that again he was wearing casual clothes underneath his coat, but this time it was for her and not for Ianto or her crappy ex-fiancé.

He picked up the beers and headed over to a private booth, Gwen following along behind him, feeling slightly like a lost puppy. She sat down carefully, perched next to and stared at him seductively, the way she used to with Rhys and all the others when she wanted them.

"So Jack. Come to apologise and explain the game you have been playing?" She glanced at him coyly from under her eyelashes. She couldn't be sure but he nearly choked on his drink. Gwen picked up the one he had for her and downed most of it in one gulp, letting it slide down her throat with crystal like smoothness.

Jack was looking at her incredulously and for a moment Gwen let the little worry inside of her expand. The expression on his face almost lent to the idea that he found her incredibly stupid, like some of the members of the police department, but they were just jealous and Jack was probably just jealous of her people skills and the fact that she didn't have to offer them a place in her bed, (which they'd gladly take) to get them to talk to her.

"Well?" Her impatience seeped into her voice despite her best efforts and she fixed a smile on her face so he wouldn't notice. It always had worked so well when she was in the police force. But Torchwood had always been slightly different, as if they had all been desensitised from others sympathy or caring moods. That was one of the reasons she had been attracted to the place originally, apart from the fact that they definitely needed her other skills.

"No, Gwen. I came to fire you from Torchwood. Just like I warned you I would." His gaze was cold and Gwen shivered slightly, though not from the outcome she had been hoping for. His hand, which had been lying on the table loosely, now curled into a tight fist. He really looked like he was refraining from hitting her.

Gwen felt her outrage flow through her and she quickly sculled the rest of her drink, shaking her head slightly to clear it, then screeched loudly, feeling like a banshee the words flowing fast and furious until she slowed down.

"Fire Me?! I just thought you were joking. Oh, this is part of the joke right?" She grinned, relieved to have figured it out.

"Gwen," Jack looked deeply into her eyes, and Gwen's heart thudded as she realised he was about to tell her that he loved her.

"Let me say this just once, loud and clear. THERE. IS. NO. GAME! You are fired and now that you have been stupid enough to accept that drink and have drunk the retcon in that beer, you won't remember Torchwood or anything about it anymore. That was just the beginning. Before, I realised how STUPID I had been to hire you. You are nothing more than a self centred, brainless, annoying, cheating and controlling bitch. We tried, everyone did; to get past your self-centeredness but you were just too rude and dangerous. Especially recently. How you act towards Ianto and your opinion on him is just the tip of the iceberg. And just for the record," he leaned in close to the upset Gwen Cooper who was trying to keep face despite his callousness.

His eyes twinkled with cruel amusement on her part. "It's never good to try and get into my good books by offering yourself to me just after you've insulted my boyfriend."

Gwen felt de-ja vou set in and hurriedly looked around, hoping someone would notice that he had drugged her, but no they were all looking at her like she was crazy.

"That's probably the most stupid thing you have ever done, Jack," she said glaring at him. "You know that retcon doesn't work on me, so why even bother? I'm just going to go home and in the morning I'll remember everything. Then I'm gonna come into work, kick Ianto's arse and scream at you for being stupid enough to let such a prize like me go."

She looked at him in horror. She had been meaning to say the first bit but she hadn't planned to say any of the rest of it, it had just flown out of her mouth, like honey.

Jack smirked maliciously at her. "Did your tongue run away from you, huh? Don't worry, just part of that little cocktail I just gave you. And trust me after I'm done with you, you won't ever remember anything about Torchwood ever again." He reached over and hauled her up roughly, dragging her to the door and she wondered how no one noticed that he was manhandling her, but then she listened to what he was saying.

"Sorry about that. She's a patient from work. Gets a little carried away in her own little world, believes that she's an alien hunter and that I'm her magical boss that can travel though time. She was just out on a trip with one of the nurses when she hurt her and ran away. Don't worry, she won't bother you again."

He hauled her over to the SUV and Gwen could only stare blankly at it as he shoved her into the boot and shut it on her. Her vision started to go blurry as she heard him open the drivers door and start up the engine.

"Goodbye Gwen. Wish I could be polite and say it was a pleasure, but it wasn't. Have a good life." She heard him snicker and the last thing she felt was the rumbling of the car underneath her as it took off to another destination.

*

Jack Harkness stared smugly at the screen in front of him, his paperwork currently forgotten as he surveyed the screen.

"Jack? Please tell me you actually got those papers done for once. I would actually like to be able to go home on time for once." Jack turned to the door, looking guilty as his lover stepped into the office, his tie hanging of his shoulders and his jacket draped over his arm.

"Hey Ianto. Sorry I just kinda got distracted…" Ianto put a finger over Jack's lips as he surveyed what the enigmatic leader of Torchwood had actually been doing. The screen was showing the CCTV of some back street in London where a pregnant hooker was standing, trying to look provocative but everyone was passing her by with a look of disgust on their faces.

"You know I kinda feel sorry for that kid Gwen's carrying. It's going to grow up with a really bad mother. Should we make the government take it away from her?"

Jack laughed and laid a hand on top of Ianto's, looking deep into the cerulean eyes.

"Do you really think that I would let Gwen keep a kid with her kind of record? I checked, and guess what? It's an alien spore. I guess Torchwood came back to bite her in the arse."

"One thing I can help but think is that Gwen got what she always wanted, lots and lots of sex, non stop."

"Oh, but don't worry Ianto. When I changed her memories, I added a few things, she thinks that being a prostitute is a arduous chore and belittling of her stature in life, and I kinda made her afraid of the kinds of customers she usually gets."

The laughed loudly together and Jack stood up, putting all the papers to the side as he shyly took Ianto's hand in is and led the out of the HUB and over towards their apartment near the wharf. The computer in the hub continued running, showing the image of Gwen standing in the cold, suggestively running a hand up and down her barely covered thigh.

*

Gwen Cooper stood out in the edge of the alley fixing her smile on her face, hoping to get a customer so she could go back to her shared apartment, where her pimp would be waiting for her.

She remembered back to the days of working as a policeman, and how she had used to laugh at people who were in her position. Those days were long gone now, and as she fixed her hair a bit she vowed to get back to working for them so she can show the others that being a prostitute isn't all bad.

Her hand absently rubbed her belly as she remembered which customer had gotten her pregnant, he had seemed a bit purple down under, but at the time she had thought nothing of it; until she had started noticing a bit of a lump.

Recently she had gone to the doctors, who had told her she had syphilis but she knew he was wrong, he had just been trying to get into her pants.

Spotting a customer looking at her with obvious lust she made her way over towards him, where he pointed at the wall and she placed her hands on it.

"I'm told you're the one to go to if you want to do something without any morals at all, so let's get it on."

She opened her mouth to speak but he shoved the barrel of a gun in her mouth as he unzipped his pants and lifted the hem of her skirt up a millimetre.

"Don't talk. Sluts don't talk. They just get what's coming to them."

Gwen obeyed as she stared at the gun in her mouth, hoping against hope that he had left the safety on, she knew some of her friends hadn't been as lucky as her.

'I guess this is what life's left me. Oh well, at least my pimp likes me.'


End file.
